Caricature cartoons targeting Adolf Hitler brought Maja Berezowska into the center of a Paris courtroom battle during the mid-1930s. The German Embassy sued her for these illustrations, marking a dangerous period in her career. Her work as a painter, graphic artist, and scenographer spanned decades of European history, eventually earning her recognition as a Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Early Life and Parisian Career
Born in 1893 in Baranowicze, Maja Berezowska grew up in the Minsk Governorate of the Russian Empire. Her father was Edmund Berezowski, an engineer and general, and her mother was Janina Berezowska, who studied in Saint Petersburg, Kraków, and Munich. By 1933, she relocated to Paris. During this three-year stay in France, she established a professional foothold by contributing drawings to publications including Le Figaro, Le Rire, and Ici Paris.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Wartime Imprisonment
Upon returning to Poland, her career was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. Her previous caricatures of Hitler resulted in her imprisonment at Pawiak prison. She was eventually transferred to the Ravensbrück concentration camp under a death sentence. She survived the ordeal and was liberated by Soviet forces, later traveling with a group of other Polish women to Stockholm, where she lived for a year.
Post-War Life and Legacy
In 1946, Berezowska returned to Poland, settling in Warsaw. She continued her multifaceted career, which included work as a painter, illustrator, theatre designer, and caricaturist. Throughout her life, she remained a central figure in Polish art until her death in 1978. She is buried at the Powązki Military Cemetery in Warsaw.
Fast facts
- Born: 13 April 1893, Baranowicze
- Died: 31 May 1978, Warsaw
- Citizenship: Poland
- Key Occupations: Painter, Illustrator, Caricaturist, Scenographer
- Award: Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta
- Burial Place: Powązki Military Cemetery
Questions readers ask
Why was Maja Berezowska sued in Paris?
She was sued by the German Embassy following the publication of her caricature cartoons of Adolf Hitler in French magazines.
Where was she imprisoned during World War II?
She was initially held at Pawiak and subsequently imprisoned at the Ravensbrück concentration camp.
Achievements
- Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta
.jpg)